Decision details

To accept any potential funding allocation from Lincolnshire County Council as part of the Department for Work and Pension’s Household Support Fund (7) 1 April 2025 – 30 March 2026 to deliver local scheme.

·         To accept the funding allocation from Lincolnshire County Council as part of the Department for Work and Pension’s Household Support Fund 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 to deliver the scheme at a local level. This is an indicative total of £327,465 for Boston.

·         To give delegated authority to the Assistant Director of Communities & Housing Services in consultation relevant Portfolio Holders to implement the policy in respect of administration and local distribution of the funding.

·         To utilise local allocation to meet local need and support vulnerable households in-line with the Household Support Fund grant conditions:

o   40% allocated via grant donation to Lincolnshire Community Foundation to administer public facing application-based scheme to provide crisis support to vulnerable households in most need of help with the cost of essentials

o   10% allocated to internal teams including South & East Lincolnshire’s Home Energy Advice & Retrofit Team (HEART), Wellbeing Lincs, Good Homes Hub and Housing Advice & Homeless to support residents in most need

o   20% allocated to ‘prevention’ support including budgeting advice, energy efficiency measures, digital inclusion and community food projects

o   20% allocated to external partners including local food banks, charities, community support groups and NHS teams to support clients, patients and residents in most need

o   10% to retained support administration and staff costs incurred by South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership to deliver the local scheme

·         Accepting access to this local allocation of Government funding will ensure the Council can support residents in the most need with household essentials.

·         Previous HSF rounds have been successfully delivered by this model. Relationships with delivery partners and mechanisms are now well established with learning taken from previous funding rounds.

·         Working with third sector organisations with reputable record of delivering grants and crisis support to residents in need ensures a wide range of vulnerable households are identified, engaged and supported.

·         Crisis and prevention support will be available to meet the needs Boston residents and the local community.

·         Do nothing and decline the grant. The grant is paid in arrears and there is no requirement to draw down the funding. To not utilise the funding would be detrimental to households at a time when many continue to experience financial pressures and is not considered an option.

·         To administer the application-based scheme in-house. Due to limited capacity and timescales this is not recommended. S&ELCP have an established relationship with Lincolnshire Community Foundation to deliver local grants. They are a reputable Lincolnshire based grant-maker with the network and experience to efficiently deliver public-facing schemes